Believe In Yourself
(For Teens)

“If you wish for others to believe in you, you must first convince them
that you absolutely believe in yourself.” ~ Ty Howard

I am a teenager. Some say, “I am strong, and I am weak.” Most say, “I am creative, and I am lazy.” Many say, “I am the future, and I am a lost cause.” Others say, “I am happiness, and I am sadness.” I laugh and smile, and I also cry. I love, but I often end up hurting. I stand, but from time to time I fall. I try, but often find myself struggling to keep up. I try to be responsible but somehow I end up being reckless. I want to fight for what is right, but often end up on the side that is wrong. I dream, but I feel my dream is not for me. I want the best out of life, but I always end up believing the worst for me. I try to believe in myself—but I don’t know how or where to start.

I often ask myself, What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I see myself in a better image? Am I not good enough? What have I or my parents done wrong? And upon seeking answers to my unjust questions in life, I found out that the main problem is me — I don’t believe in myself. I don’t trust my gut. I don’t believe in my abilities. And the worst part of it all… I don’t have faith in my dreams or belief in a better and successful future for myself. But as I moved on with my life, I discovered four powerful principles on how to improve, empower, and believe in myself more and more each day.

1. Learn the art of optimism. Yes, it’s hard to be optimistic. And I know that already. I’ve been there, done that. But what good will it bring you if you give in to pessimism (negative / stinking thinking)? Disappointment? Frustration? Anger? Hatred? You’re just stressing yourself out and attracting negative and toxic life outcomes to you.

For a change, why not try looking for the moral lesson of the situation you’re in? Consider it the brighter side! I am aware that it’s hard to be positive all the time, especially during tough and unfavorable situations. Looking for the moral lesson in your life experiences will allow you to better cope with and hopefully overcome the situation should the same situation happen again.

Remember this saying, “Life is a never ending learning process.” Every day is a new day for learning and growing! We get to learn so many things in life. As a teenager, we are just about to set our sails off to our journey towards adulthood. If we let pessimism (negative and stinking thinking) takeover our being, we will not get to see the real beauty of life!

Through optimism (positive thinking coupled with a positive attitude for life) you can and will improve how you see, feel, think, act, and enjoy life on a daily basis.

2. WORK HARDER! No pain, no gain. It may not be music to your ears, but this saying is one reality that we all have to face, accept, and deal with. If you truly want to believe and capture your dream career or a lavish lifestyle in the future—you will improve your odds of doing so by making the daily commitment to WORK HARDER than everyone else!

Do not take this saying literally though. Just because you did not go to sleep so you could study for an upcoming exam, does not guarantee you will pass the exam! If you feel like you did your best when you took the exam, though you didn’t pass it with flying colors, GO BACK, REREAD AND EMBRACE POWERFUL PRINCIPLE #1 OF THIS ARTICLE. Then ask yourself in a positive way, “How can I do better next time?” “Is it because I did not pay close attention to my teacher?” “Is it because I did not take the exam seriously?” “Did I rush on answering the questions without double-checking them before I handed-in my completed exam?”

Through HARD WORK you can and will achieve many of your desired outcomes in life. Even though there will be times where you feel HARD WORK is not your first choice or your favorite choice, just move forward and do it. Remember: Productivity does not just happen. It is always the result of focus, determination, meaningful work, and you minimizing all distractions.

3. Make your family or the person who cares about you, Proud! In connection to #2, this powerful principle requires more commitment and HARD WORK on your part. It’s not about you working to become rich or famous but if that happens, value it and remain positive on how you’re living your life.

What I’m truly getting at here is for you to empower yourself in such a way that you make life more than being just about you. In striving and working hard to make your family or the person who cares about you, Proud—you’re embracing and advancing the positive values, attitude, and work ethic passed onto you by your family and those who care about you and your future success. You’re also choosing to believe in yourself, your abilities and your dreams so that you can later become someone great in life who can move your family and those who care about you to the next level in life. In turn, making your family or the person who cares about you, Proud!

Through believing in yourself and taking continuous positive steps of action to make your family and those who care about you, Proud—you will put yourself on a path to capture and celebrate the many positive opportunities that life brings your way.

4. Lastly, Move Forward with “The Right” SWAG. To be and remain a positive, responsible, and smart teenager today can be tough. There are so many trends, fashions, choices, responsibilities, growing pains, family challenges, distractions, influences, peer pressures, and life decisions to make. What does one have to do just to be in and acknowledged by the “Popular Crowd”?

Simple… Move Forward with “The Right” S.W.A.G. “The Right” Style (a positive and healthy image will attract positive people and friends to you), Work Ethic (HARD WORK will always bring you and your life the best reward and desired outcomes), Attitude (a positive attitude and outlook on life will open many more doors of opportunity to you), and Grace (move through life daily with good manners, politeness, and respect for others and yourself).

Through daily usage and value-added benefits of moving forward with “The Right” SWAG—you will continuously empower yourself to boldly believe in yourself while making your best efforts and character better.

Today, whenever I find myself asking, What’s wrong with me? Why do I always end up struggling or failing? Am I not good enough? What have I or my parents done wrong? I reconnect to and put into action these four powerful principles—and I Start Believing In Myself, again-and-again. I am reaping the benefits and rewards of optimism; HARD WORK; making my family and those who care about me, Proud; and moving forward with “The Right” SWAG. Most importantly, I am enjoying and appreciating a very healthy lifestyle and all the things life has for me (indifferent, unfavorable or good).

I hope you too will discover and begin utilizing these four powerful principles soon. Believe In Yourself!

About the Author: Ty Howard is the author of the best-selling book Untie the Knots^TM That Tie Up Your Life: Freeing Yourself from Toxic Habits, Choices, People, and Relationships, and the forthcoming teen character enrichment and empowerment book You Were Born to Be G.R.R.R.R.E.A.T.!!!!^TM. He is recognized around the world as a highly sought after consultant and expert on youth enrichment and teen empowerment. Ty teaches young people and the professionals who work with and develop them, how to defeat toxic habits, maintain a positive attitude, and achieve true greatness. With over 21 dedicated years as a Dynamic Professional Speaker for Youth & Teens, Ty has a proven track record for delivering inspiring and engaging programs that bring forth immediate positive change, desired outcomes, and real-life results.

For information on Ty Howard’s programs and services, or to request written reprint permission for this article, visit: http://capturinggreatness.com or call (443) 982-7582.